Methods of Payment
Paycheck and Direct Deposit Notice Distribution
The University distributes paychecks and direct deposit notices to authorized GW employees
with valid identification on designated pay dates. Paychecks and direct deposit notices are
distributed from the Academic Center, 801 22nd Street, Room T-101,
starting at 8:00 a.m.
Paychecks and direct deposit notices are distributed based on the
department banner organization code.
The organization code will appear directly above the employee name on the address window of the paycheck.
- Each department is required to submit a Departmental Check Pickup Authorization form to Payroll Services. This form can be found in Appendix A within the Payroll Check Distribution Policy. This form authorizes designated employees to pick up, sign for, and issue the checks to employees.
- Departments must be sure to update the Departmental Check Pickup Authorization form when an authorized employee no longer serves in this capacity.
- A departmental envelope containing a list of individual paychecks and direct deposit notices will be issued at the time of pickup. However, no check or departmental envelope will be released without prior authorization and proper GW photo identification.
- The designated employee should know the department banner organization codes for the envelopes he or she is picking up to ensure faster service.
- Before leaving Payroll Services, employees should check departmental envelopes to determine if there is a check or direct deposit notice for each employee on the checklist.
- The person picking up departmental checks is responsible for the entire envelope. Individual checks and direct deposit notices may not be removed from the envelope. Individual check or direct deposit notice pickup is allowed only during supplemental pay processing. (glossary link coming soon!)
- When authorized employees distribute the checks to departmental employees, they should obtain signatures to indicate that the appropriate employees received the checks. A copy of the listing should be returned to Payroll Services when the departmental distribution is completed.
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Undelivered Paychecks and Direct Deposit Notifications
Departments should store undelivered checks in a locked and secure file, desk, or cabinet. If
a check has not been delivered to an employee within 10 days after receipt by the department,
it should be returned to Payroll Services. Undelivered checks or direct deposit notices for a
terminated employee should be returned immediately to Payroll Services.
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Unclaimed Paychecks
Paychecks that are unclaimed or uncashed by employees become a form of abandoned property and
must be reported annually to the D.C. Government Unclaimed Property Unit if they remain
unclaimed for a period of over one year from date of issue. Payroll Services will notify
employees who have not claimed or cashed their paychecks in an attempt to reissue the payment
before turning it over to the D.C. government. Supervisors should contact Payroll Services for
information regarding any unclaimed paychecks.
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Check Replacement and Cancellation
A replacement check is issued to replace a lost or stolen check after the University has placed
a stop payment and receives an electronic confirmation from its bank that the original check has
not cleared the bank. A check is considered lost or stolen when the payee has not received it
within 10 business days from mailing or if he or she has misplaced the check and cannot locate
the check after a reasonable effort. In the event that the original check has cleared the
University's bank account and the payee still disputes receiving the payment, he or she must
fill out a notarized affidavit disputing the receipt of payment. The Affidavit of Unauthorized
Signature/Alteration form can be obtained from Payroll Services.
The University will replace a damaged or stale-dated check once the check has been returned to
the University. A check will be considered damaged if its condition has deteriorated as such that a
bank will not honor it. A check is considered stale dated if it is more than 90 days old. For
checks that are more than 12 months old, special rules apply. Supervisors should contact Payroll
Services for more information.
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